Jackson Slater, IOL, Sacramento State
Size:
Height: 6030
Weight: 311
Arm: 32”
Hand: 10”
Accomplishments:
Senior Bowl Invitee (2024) • First-Team AP All-American (2024) • First-Team All-Big Sky (2024) • First-Team All-Big Sky (2023) • First-Team All-Big Sky (2022) • AP Third-Team All-American (2022)
“A clinician in the run game with great power and fundamentals, Jackson Slater has all the makings of a decade-long starter.”
Strengths:
Natural power and core strength
Elite anchor
Great structure and shape as a run-blocker
Aggressive in protection
Lower-body fluidity in the fit
Concerns:
Struggles with anticipation in space
Hand landmarks need to get tighter in both phases
One dimensional protector
Film Analysis:
A three-time consecutive All-American and All-Big Sky, Jackson Slater is one of the most decorated FCS linemen to come out in recent years. The 6-foot-4 guard and Washington native started 44 games for Sacramento State on his way to becoming a coveted draft prospect. Slater brings a desirable flavor to this interior class: he’s powerful, sturdy, and physical, without sacrificing any athleticism or fluidity.
Slater’s game invites a lot of excitement. In my exposure to him, the way he plays the game and how it translates to the NFL offered plenty of reasons for optimism. The first trait that immediately jumps out is his near-perfect body structure and base as a run blocker. His shape and leverage in the fit allow him to get under the pads of defenders, but where Slater shines is in the drive phase. On contact, he instantly gets the party started: churning his feet, keeping his insteps in the ground, and displacing defenders from the ground up with a great downhill knee drive.
In vertical running schemes like inside zone or duo, Slater poses as a cut-and-dry fit. His ability to move bodies at the first level, as well as his awareness at the second level, paints a good picture of what he’ll look like at the next level. In gap schemes, Slater showed proficient contact courage as a pulling blocker. No matter what kind of play he’s asked to run, Slater lacks nothing. This foundation as a run-blocker—this identity—is one of the driving factors in why I see Slater as a day-one starter.
It’s Slater's protection abilities where he needs the most work, to me. To start off, I love his aggression and demeanor in that phase. He consistently brought the fight to his defender, often opting to engage them early, which is something I value, but this strategy sacrifices some comfort in space. When faced with wide-aligned rushers, he struggled to anticipate their movements, especially against those with two-way go’s. I’d like to see him develop another wrinkle to his game—one that gives him more composure and control in space. Having a few different approaches, rather than just taking rushers straight on, will give him more options in how he attacks, especially against the league’s top rushers.
Slater was a relatively easy evaluation for me. His power, anchor, and run-game fundamentals offer legitimate day-one starting upside, but his consistency and potential even make me buy into him as a future Pro Bowl-caliber guard. He’s a player you draft not just for the floor he provides, but for the range of outcomes he offers. At his best, Slater can anchor your line with dominance, reshaping the identity of your offense. At the very least, you’re getting a competitive, high-effort piece that elevates the entire room. The variance is where the value lies—with Slater, you’re investing in a prospect whose ceiling could pay off in spades.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Exposures: Fresno State (2024), Eastern Washington (2024), Idaho State (2024)
